Growing Garlic

Allium sativum : Amaryllidaceae / the onion family

Jan F M A M J J A S O N Dec
                P P    

(Best months for growing Garlic in USA - Zone 5a regions)

  • P = Plant cloves

September: Garlic can overwinter. Cover with a good layer of mulch . In areas where frost persists into March/ April, expect to harvest your garlic in June/July.

October: Garlic can overwinter. Cover with a good layer of mulch . In areas where frost persists into March/ April, expect to harvest your garlic in June/July.

  • Easy to grow. Plant cloves. Best planted at soil temperatures between 50°F and 95°F. (Show °C/cm)
  • Space plants: 4 - 5 inches apart
  • Harvest in 17-25 weeks.
  • Compatible with (can grow beside): Beets, Carrots, Cucumbers, Dill, Tomatoes, Parsnips
  • Avoid growing close to: Asparagus, Beans, Brassicas, Peas, Potatoes
  • Mature cured garlic
  • Almost ready to harvest
  • Garlic cloves
  • Mature cured garlic
  • Young garlic shoots

Garlic is traditionally planted in cold weather and harvested in summer ("plant on the shortest day, harvest on the longest"). Plant the cloves (separated from the bulb), point upwards, deep enough to just cover with soil. A fairly tough and easy-growing plant but in better soil with regular watering you will get a better crop. On poorer soil, and forgetting to water them, you will still get some garlic, only not quite so much, maybe just a single large bulb.

Leave a garlic to go to seed, and you will probably get plenty of self-sown plants the following year.

To keep for later use, dig up and leave to dry out for a day or so after the green shoots die down. To use immediately, pull up a head when you need it, or cut and use the green shoots.

Culinary hints - cooking and eating Garlic

Cut the growing shoots or use the entire young garlic plants as 'garlic greens' in stir-fry.

Your comments and tips

20 Sep 24, houch (USA - Zone 7a climate)
Planting Garlic between four and 6 inches apart so how deep to plant this garlic in that type of soil Is fluffy soil in organic compost mix with rich top soil how deep to plant garlic
14 Sep 24, Teresa (USA - Zone 9a climate)
How often to water
03 Sep 24, Arla (USA - Zone 10b climate)
I planted my garlic cloves in July. In Southern California I know that's probably not the right time to plant them, but it doesn't get cold here. They've already started shooting out green shoots, and I'm not sure if I should leave it just keep growing or if I should cut those shoots off to stop it from growing for now. I'm assuming I should not harvest it until like next spring. Can you offer advice on what I should do now to keep the garlic growing so that I can harvest it next spring. I'd appreciate anybody's help. Thank you
14 Aug 24, Jody Hayward (Canada - Zone 5b Temperate Warm Summer climate)
Going to plant my first fall garden in my raised beds. I had a great year. Can you recommend the best place to buy seeds and bulbs that are local to East Coast Canada? I also have downloaded your app so I can take your advice to my garden with me. I love the layout of your website it's so easy to use.
13 Jun 24, Peter (Australia - temperate climate)
I have already planted my Garlic and I was looking at bags of Garlic Cloves in my local shop. Reading through the instructions it said "Do not mulch Garlic". Wondering what your thoughts are. I mulched mine straight after I planted it. We have had a lot of rain. I am on the Central Coast NSW.
16 Jun 24, (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
With mulching and a lot of rain the ground could become very wet and cause the bulbs to rot before germination.
19 Feb 24, Bruno K. (USA - Zone 9a climate)
First time for me planting Garlic. I planted them last October. My question: Many of the green shoots I had have dried, now in Mid Feb. i noticed that new green shoot are coming up is this normal for garlic or did I do something wrong? my next question: I planted Tomato seeds on Feb. 1, 2024 Tycoons, Dixie Red, Celebrity and Juliets, they have 2 sets of true leafs and are about 4" tall, with temp. outside in the low 50's and daytime temp. Mid 60's is that a good time to harden them off? they are only 3 weeks old. Any Advise will help.
23 Dec 23, Sirena (USA - Zone 5b climate)
I’m in zone 5b Chicago South Suburbs. It’s about to be Xmas in 1 day the weather is warm more than normal for this time of year and it’s been raining a lot. Can I still plant garlic?
02 Jan 24, (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
Check the planting guide for your zone.
06 Dec 23, Pieter (South Africa - Humid sub-tropical climate)
I was not able to find anyone selling day neutral varieties such as Southern Glen; sounds as if day lenght makes a huge difference in warmer subtropical climates; does anyone have advice as to which variety will form the best bulbs in the Lowveld's warm winters
Showing 1 - 10 of 906 comments

Just to clarify what I think I understand…. If I buy one bulb of garlic and break it apart into individual cloves, I plant each clove and expect to get a growing bulb. Am I one the right track here?

- Rhonda Bowen

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This planting guide is a general reference intended for home gardeners. We recommend that you take into account your local conditions in making planting decisions. Gardenate is not a farming or commercial advisory service. For specific advice, please contact your local plant suppliers, gardening groups, or agricultural department. The information on this site is presented in good faith, but we take no responsibility as to the accuracy of the information provided.
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